Some more PlayStation snippets today. First up, the price of PS3 is to be slashed in Japan as well as Europe. On October 17, the 20GB model will drop to ¥44,980 (£188) while the 60GB machine will go for ¥54,980 (£230). Then, a few weeks later on November 11, Sony will release a 40gig machine for ¥39,980, which features a similarly snipped spec as the Euro equivalent (no backwards compatibility, two USB ports, etc). The 40GB unit is set to be available in two colours: traditional black and 'ceramic' white. This is to entice the many thousands of Japanese gamers who haven't yet bought a PS3 because it was the wrong colour.
Word has it, the new machine will also be bundled with a Dualshock 3 controller, rather than 'joypad of the future', Sixaxis. On the subject of Dualshock, Immersion - which owns several patents on vibration controllers - has been questioning Sony's decision to re-use the old PS2 Dualshock technology in its new pad. CEO Vic Viegas reckons his company's new TouchSense set-up, featuring a more advanced series of vibration functions, would have made a better choice.
He's probably right, but then Sony is perhaps still smarting from the recent multi-million dollar lawsuit. And anyway, rumble is a 'last generation' technology so why bother updating it with fancy features like pinpoint rumble accuracy and a wider range of specific jolt and vibration feedback types?
But hey, dig that white machine.
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